August 1966 



COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 



15 



TRENDS 



AND 



iis^jjA^i^ur* 



DEVELOPMENTS 





Alaska Fisheries Explorations 

 and Gear Development 



SHRIMP RESOURCES IN 

 SOUTHEASTERN WATERS SURVEYED: 



M/V " Little Lady '' Cruise 66-1 (April 18- 

 June 13, 1966): The exploratory fishing ves- 

 sel. Little Lady , chartered by the Bureau of 

 Commercial Fisheries, U. S. Department of 

 the Interior, completed a 57 -day exploratory 

 shrimp cruise in June 1966 for spot (Panda- 

 lus platyceros ) and coon-stripe shrimp (Pan- 

 dalus hypsinotus ). The vessel operated in the 

 Cordova Bay vicinity and along the southeast- 

 ern coast of Prince of Wales Island in south- 

 east Alaska. 



Principal objectives of the cruise were to: 

 (1) locate commercial concentrations of spot 

 and coon-stripe shrimp; (2) collect data on 

 the distribution and abundance of those spe- 

 cies; and (3) observe the relative fishing ef- 

 ficiency of 6 types of shrimp pots. 



The gear experiment was designed to test 

 the relative fishing efficiency of 6 different 

 models of shrimp traps plus 2 variations in 

 construction features. The six models of 

 shrimp traps include: - 



(1) Rectangular wood lath trap, 18x18x30", 

 iron bark frame covered with Ij" wide spruce 

 lath. Two conical tunnels of l|" stretch- 

 mesh nylon web with 9"-10|" lead-Ln. Two- 

 inch (inside diameter) white plastic rings 

 were fastened at the tunnel apex (trap type 

 #8). 



(2) Rectangular metal frame trap, 18x18x30", 

 reinforcing steel rod (|") frame covered by 

 burlap and 1^" stretch-mesh nylon web. Two 

 conical tunnels constructed of |" stretched- 

 mesh nylon web. Tunnel lead-in 13" (long, 

 trap type #14) and 9" (short, trap type #9) 

 with 2" (inside diameter) white nylon rings at 

 the apex. 



Shows area of operations during M/V Little Lady Cruise 66-1 (A- 

 pril 18-13, 1966). 



(3) Plastic igloo trap, 24" in diameter and 

 lOi" high (trap type #10). 



(4) Rectangular plywood trap, 18x18x36", 

 iron bark frame sheeted with |' plywood. Two 

 sloping ramp tunnels were constructed of ply- 

 wood frames covered with|" mesh nylon 

 web. The tunnel openings were 

 18" wide (trap type #11). 



li" deep by 



(5) Rectangular plastic pipe frame trap, 

 18x18x36", i'^plastic PVC-type pipe covered 

 with burlap (trap type #5), or |" nylon web 

 (trap type #15), two conical tunnels construct- 

 ed of I" nylon mesh, lead-in 15|", with 2" 

 (inside diameter) white rings at the apex. 



